One Step Forward Two Steps Back

Being the optimistic person that I am, I'm having a hard time writing a post like this. But for the sake of those coming after me in the adoption journey, I want to be transparent so I don't set up unrealistic expectations. I feel like we'll never get over jet-lag!  I know I'm being irrational but that's where I am today.  Each day I'm more tired than the day before.  And Valerie is showing it too.  LOTS of fussiness today.

There was some fun too.  Some time outside and playing on the trampoline with Susan.

We've set up an area in the living room called "The Scream Zone" - a padded place where we can put Valerie to cry and bang her head.  We don't let her bang her head on the floor but picking her up makes her furious and she tries to then bang her head on us.  So now we have a temporary solution where she can bang her head and we can sit beside her and talk calmly to her and pat her back to try to comfort her.  We think that she probably wasn't comforted in the orphanage and had to figure out a way to sooth herself.  We're trying to teach her that we're here to help her.

The Scream Zone